Une Fois Dans Une Vie
by CanuckDaysfan
Summary: An AU Lumi fic. Sami is a student in Europe. Lucas works for the ISA. A case involving an aquaintance of Sami's draws them together.


_All **Days of our Lives** characters are © NBC/Sony/Corday Productions. All other characters are mine. No profit is derived from this work. _

**Prologue:**

_Seattle, WA_

"So twinkle-toes, did you get it?" She asked, not looking up from the ever-present knitting in her hands as she heard the back door of the van click shut.

Lucas flashed a quick grin towards Shelley, his ISA partner of four years. With her graying hair, her kind hazel eyes, and her slightly wrinkled skin that was beginning to show its 56 year age, she looked like someone who should be surrounded by a gaggle of young grandchildren clamoring for candy and kisses. Instead, hidden beneath the ball of fuzzy yarn beside her he'd wager there was a 45mm pistol, not a lollipop.

"Of course I got it." Lucas tapped the left lapel of his tuxedo jacket. It's in here, just like I planned. By the time she figures out what happened we'll be halfway across the continent."

Shelley clucked her tongue, shaking her head wryly at the handsome young man, wishing, not for the first time since they'd first met, that she was 30 years younger. "I suppose she was a brunette or a redhead."

"What makes you say that?" Lucas smirked, even though she was right. His mark had been a raven-haired beauty.

"Because you only extend your charm to brunettes or redheads. You avoid blondes like the plague." She chuckled to herself, remembering the look of sheer terror on his face when he'd been forced to go undercover as a judge in the Miss Helsinki pageant a few years ago. Not surprisingly, at least to her, a tall brunette had beat out the gaggle of blondes to take the tiara, due mainly to Lucas' relentless campaigning on her behalf to the rest of the judging panel.

"I do not!"

"Name one blonde you've been with in the past 4 years."

"Well, it's hardly my fault that the opportunity never arose." He protested, mentally wincing at how unconvincing his answer sounded, even to himself.

Shelley lifted a brow in disbelief. "We were in Finland for _a year_."

Lucas shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding her knowing gaze. "They're just not my type I guess."

Shelley studied her partner closely. He was renowned for keeping his cool under the direst of circumstances, but she liked to think she knew him better than anyone else. Beneath that ever-present smirk and the twinkling chocolate colored eyes lay a complicated young man, one who tried his best to hide whatever pain and heartbreak had led him to join the ISA at such a young age. "I think you avoid them on purpose."

Lucas scoffed at her suggestion, steadfastly avoiding her piercing gaze as he shrugged out of his penguin suit jacket and climbed into the passenger seat of their surveillance van. "I'm just not into blondes; that's all."

Shelley rolled her eyes at him, letting out a sigh as she started the vehicle. "Argue all you want, but I know why you avoid them."

Keeping his attention fixed on the small envelope he'd retrieved from his jacket pocket Lucas asked quietly. "And why would that be?"

"Because sooner or later you're going to meet _the_ one."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"That's it!" She chuckled at the sudden sullenness in his tone. "Sooner or later some blonde is going to come along and sweep you off your feet and once that happens, you'll be useless to us, and you know it!"

Lucas shook his head. "Sorry babe. You guys have me for life."

Shelley laughed briefly and then looked at him thoughtfully. "No. I don't think so. Your fate lies elsewhere." It wasn't that she _wanted_ him to leave the ISA, far from it. But she'd known from the moment she laid eyes on him that his soul was only half complete. One day the other half would tumble into his life, and that would be the end of his attachment-free life as a spy.

Lucas opened his mouth to protest when a soft beeping sound interrupted. Glancing at the instructions that were swiftly scrolling across the small computer screen located just beneath the dash Lucas' shoulders stiffened. "Looks like we'll have to continue this debate at another time. I've just been ordered to the Paris office."

-♥-

_London, England_

Shane Donovan looked up from his desk as his assistant handed him a single sheet of paper. "It's all arranged then?"

The man nodded. "Lucas Roberts should be boarding the flight as we speak. With the stop over in Chicago, it will take him at least 14 hours before he can make it to our Paris office."

Shane gave the man a polite smile. "Good. That will give me time to deal with my niece."

His assistant winced. "Best of luck Captain Donovan. If I may speak freely?"

"Always."

"Your niece, Samantha Brady, she's not the most co-operative person. She was rather perturbed at being, in her words "dragged kicking and screaming from Milan to Paris because some overactive ISA buffoons said so."

Shane chuckled. "Is that the polite way of saying that my niece is a spitfire?"

"Oh I didn't mean to offend –"

Shane laughed, holding his hand up to stop him. Pushing his chair back from his desk with the other, he stood up and walked around to meet the younger man's gaze directly. Lips twitching, he assured him. "None taken. Samantha is a Brady. She comes from a long line of spirited, independent stock, but I have years of experience in that field. Keep an eye on things here for me please, and I'll go to Paris and calm Samantha."

Chapter One 

_Paris, France: ISA Offices_

Samantha Brady crossed her arms and glared across the table at the two men who'd been practically glued to her side since the incident in Milan. She twisted her lips wryly. "Incident" was putting it mildly. Thanks to the blind date from hell, she'd ended up in the middle of a mob hit, watching in horror as her handsome date for the evening was brutally gunned down.

From the first moment she'd talked to him over the phone, something about Franco Kelly had left Sami feeling uneasy. A friend of a friend had suggested that they should meet and finally Sami had given in, tired of listening to her former roommate's constant nagging.

"_Sami, he's a male model. Angela says he's drop dead gorgeous."_

_Sami shook her head at Nicole. "If he's so good looking why doesn't Angela go out with him, or even you for that matter?"_

"_Angela says she's known him forever so it would be like dating her brother. And as for me, you know perfectly well that I'm waiting for that stupid twin brother of yours to wake up and come to his senses."_

_Sami's lips twisted sardonically. "You're waiting for Eric? Good luck with that one. Last I heard he intends to be a playboy bachelor for the rest of his life."_

_Nicole grinned. "He says that, but I know he doesn't mean it. He's just running scared because he knows I'm it for him."_

_Sami rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath. "And you all say **I'm** the delusional one."_

"_You are Sami. You're deluding yourself if you think you're going to stay unattached forever. You're too loving and caring to be alone."_

"_I don't plan on staying single **forever**, just until I get my education done. You know how much studying here means to me. I don't want anything interfering with that."_

"_Yeah, yeah, I remember the story. After working with the South American orphans for two years you got accepted to the same art program as your stepmother, and you want to make her proud."_

"_Isabella's always been proud of me, no matter what I've done. But I know that she wanted at least one of us to follow in her footsteps. Eric went to school in Denver. Evan picked Salem U and Retta's planning to blaze her own path at UCLA next fall. I'm the only one who ever expressed any interest in studying in Italy."_

"_I still can't believe your dad is going to let Lori go all the way out to California on her own." Nicole commented, addressing Sami's youngest sibling by her common nickname. Named Loretta after Isabella's late mother, in typical Brady fashion following the precedent set by Carrie and Sami, the child's name had been immediately shortened to Lori. Wanting to be different, Sami had selected Retta as her own pet name for her beloved little sister._

"_She won't really be alone out there. My Aunt Kayla and Uncle Steve live in San Diego, and their oldest daughter Steffi is a junior at UCLA and their son Mark will be a freshman there at the same time as Retta."_

"_Well I'm still surprised your dad let any of you out of his sight after what happened with your older sister."_

_Sami laughed. "Yeah, Carrie's to thank for the strict curfew Eric and I had growing up, not to mention the million other rules we had to live by. Thankfully they relaxed a bit by the time Evan became a teen five years later."_

"_Where did you say she was again, Carrie I mean?"_

"We haven't actually seen much her since she moved to Europe to live with her mom eons ago, but the last time she called home was from a payphone in Istanbul, and that was at Christmas."

"_Is she still running around with that doctor? The one you guys knew in Salem?"_

"_Mike Horton? Yeah, she's still obsessed. The age difference just doesn't seem so creepy now that she's 28 though. It was worse when she was only 15 and ran away from Anna after meeting him while on that trip to Israel. I thought my dad was going to have a heart attack when he found out she was with such an older man. Good thing for Mike that he's a Horton. I think his grandmother must have pleaded on his behalf."_

"_Do you think he'll ever give in and marry her?"_

_Sami shrugged. "Who knows? I barely even know her. The family hardly even talks about her anymore, unless it's to criticize. She's considered 'the disappointment'. I try not to judge her. She didn't exactly have the ideal upbringing. I often wonder if my life might have turned out differently if my dad hadn't met Isabella right after my mother disappeared. She's the best stepmother anyone could ask for."_

"_Don't think that all this talk about your family has made me forget about your date with Franco. You **will** go out with him and you **will**__enjoy it. You need a boyfriend Sami."_

_Sami shook her head. "No thanks. I don't want that complication in my life."_

"_Boyfriends aren't complications Sami."_

"_Boyfriends expect sex. To me, sex is an unnecessary complication."_

"_Sex can be wonderful."_

"_I wouldn't know."_

_Nicole sighed in frustration. "Look, I know that what almost happened to you with that guy… What was his name again?"_

"_Alan." Sami replied quietly. "Alan Harris." The mere mention of his name never failed to make her feel uneasy. The thought of what he'd tried to do to her, what he'd very nearly succeeded in... If it hadn't been for her younger cousins Andrew and Shawn overhearing Alan's plans for their date and alerting her father and uncles… She shuddered at the thought._

"_I know that what Alan tried to do to you was terrible."_

"_I was only fifteen, and he tried to rape me. If my Dad and Uncle Bo hadn't shown up in time and caught the bastard…"_

_Nicole reached out her hand to cover Sami's, her expression one of compassion. "Not all men are like that Sami. Some are kind and sweet and know how to treat a lady. But you're never going to find one if you don't at least go out on a date."_

"_But—"_

"_No buts! If I give him your number and have him call you will you at least consider saying yes? You don't even have to go out on a full date with him. Just meet him somewhere for a cappuccino or something."_

_Realizing that her persistent friend was unlikely to give up anytime soon, Sami assented. "Fine. If it'll get you off my back, I'll go out with him – once."_

"And I kept my word." Sami muttered under her breath as she threw another icy glare at her two protectors. "Why the hell did you guys drag me all the way to Paris?"

"We're sorry Miss Brady, but Captain Donovan gave us strict orders not to divulge any information until he arrives."

"Oh so my Uncle Shane knows?" Sami nodded thoughtfully. "Good. He'll know what a huge mistake you two clowns made by bringing me here."

The men looked at each other. The taller of the two shrugged as if to say, "I don't know. You try something."

The shorter one turned back to face her flashing blue stare. "Your uncle, er I mean Captain Donovan should be here momentarily."

"And when he does, you two will be in big trouble. There was no reason to kidnap me from Italy. The Milan police could have handled the investigation. I was co-operating."

"Yes you were Samantha, and that's why I had you brought here."

Sami turned and jumped up from the chair, flinging herself into her uncle's arms. "Uncle Shane. I'm so glad you're here! Now you can tell these two brutes to let me go."

Shane returned her embrace, motioning for the two agents to leave them alone for a few minutes. "Samantha. We need to talk."

-♥-

Lucas squeezed his eyes, fighting off the urge to sleep.

"Would you care for a pillow and blanket sir?"

He barely glanced up at the blonde stewardess as he shook his head. "No thanks. I'm working."

"Well if you change your mind, just press –"

"The button above the seat. I know the drill." Lucas brushed her off, his attention entirely focused on the contents of the file that had been shoved into his hands while he changed planes in Chicago. A surreptitious glance at his watch told him that he had only 8 hours to absorb all of the information contained in the enclosed documents.

Given his photographic memory, he knew he was more than up to the task, but being a perfectionist demanded that he know every detail, inside and out.

"My name is Lucas Grainger" he murmured over and over, thankful that for once he got to keep his first name. At first the assignment had seemed routine: Fly to Paris. Meet up with a witness to a mob hit and be her personal guard from now until the day the assassin's trial was over. Depending on how much longer it took to apprehend the man, the strength of his defense, and the swiftness of the trial, the assignment could last anywhere from a couple of months, to a couple of years. After spending the past two years hopping around the globe, rushing from crisis to crisis, the thought of staying in one place for more than a fortnight held a special appeal for Lucas. At least it did until he dug to the bottom of the file and found a photograph of the woman he'd soon be living with.

His partner Shelley's words echoed through his mind as his fingers unconsciously caressed the 5x7 photograph. _Sooner or later you're going to meet **the** one. _Lucas stared at the blue-eyed blonde in the picture, feeling his pulse accelerate. If just seeing her image printed on paper was causing butterflies in his stomach, he could only imagine his reaction when they finally met in person.

Shoving the photo underneath everything again, he picked up her bio. "Samantha Wylie." He spoke her name softly. He wondered if like him she'd been allowed to retain her first name. He hoped so, as it was always harder to pull off a cover if people didn't even recognize their names when called, and Samantha was a common enough name to not arouse suspicion. He did know that Wylie definitely wasn't her real last name. Given the type of assignment he was on, that information would never be divulged. In fact if the researchers at the ISA had done their work correctly, there'd be just enough information for him to do his job, but nothing that would lead to her should he ever be captured by the 'enemy.'

They were close in age, he a mere 2 years older than her, and both spoke French fluently, presumably explaining the reason why Paris had been chosen for them. Thanks to his ISA sponsored education, he could also easily hold a conversation in Spanish, Finnish and Thai and according to her dossier, she in Italian and Greek. He had double majored in business and criminology; she in sociology and art history. While he had graduated college at 22 and immediately signed on as a full time ISA agent, she had one year left in her art history degree and was attending an exclusive private college in Milan. Or rather she had been until she'd witnessed her boyfriend's murder by the mob. According to the papers in front of him, she'd now been transferred to a similarly exclusive college in Paris to finish her studies.

He sighed as he shut the folder and leaned his head back against the seat. Watching someone lose their life was never easy, especially a loved one, but to witness such a brutal act of violence and then have to uproot your entire life… Once again he was thankful for all the psychology courses he'd taken as part of his criminology degree. No doubt the young woman would be severely traumatized and he'd be spending more time counseling her than actually guarding her.

He allowed himself a twenty-minute catnap before returning to his studies. Upon awakening he returned to his research, raising his brow when he found the name of the corporation he'd be working for during the day while Samantha was attending classes.

Being with her twenty-four hours a day wasn't exactly practical or believable, so other agents had been placed in her classes, and would protect her while on campus leaving him to strengthen their cover by taking a junior executive position at the Paris branch office of Titan Industries.

Lucas shook his head. Shane Donovan knew his background and was well aware of the connection between Lucas' family and Titan. He also understood that Lucas wanted nothing to do with his mother or siblings, but the Englishman never ceased trying...

"_Surely you don't want to spend the rest of your life avoiding them."_

"_Why not? It sure makes it easier for me to work for the ISA when I have no family ties." Lucas argued._

_Shane shook his head. "I just worry that one day you're going to wake up and realize what you missed by running away from them at 16."_

"_I'm not missing anything."_

"_But it's been a decade since you last saw her. I'm sure your mother misses you terribly."_

"_And it'll be decades before she sees me again, if ever." Lucas replied bitterly. "Besides, she doesn't miss me, not as long as she has her precious Austin by her side."_

"Sorry Shane. You can try all you want, but it's never going to happen."

-♥-

Sami slammed the bedroom door of the small flat the ISA had brought her to after her meeting with her uncle. "Unbelievable." She griped as she flopped onto the king-sized bed. "All this aggravation because my friends don't think I should be alone. Well I guess they'll get their wish now. Too bad I can't contact them to let them know."

Rolling over onto her back, she stared up at the plaster ceiling, wryly noting the 1970's fresco that had been painted across its surface, seemingly in a twisted attempt to mimic's Michelangelo's 16th century Sistine Chapel works. Frowning, she turned over onto her side, noting the empty walls. "Somehow Munch seems more appropriate at the moment. I'll have to pick up a poster or two."

Closing her eyes she replayed her conversation with her uncle.

"_But I don't see why I should have to leave Milan. Surely you can hide me somewhere in the city."_

_Shane's shoulder slumped dejectedly. "Samantha I've explained it three times already. The Lombardi family knows you can identify the hit man, and since they were foolish enough to use Giancarlo's only son for the job, they'll go to any lengths necessary to guarantee that you won't be able to testify. In Milan our resources for protection would be limited, but in Paris we'll have the advantage of having a virtual army of agents at our disposal."_

"_So if that's the case, why the one posing as my live-in boyfriend? Why not just give me one of the female agents as a roommate?"_

_Shane smiled tentatively. He had a bad feeling that she wouldn't react well to his answer. "Samantha, you're not exactly known as the type who dates many men, let alone lives with one. What could seem more unlike you than being a young college student living with her junior executive boyfriend? And at the same time, you'll blend in easily with the rest of the students."_

"_I guess." She hesitated. "But what if I can't stand him? What if he's a jerk? Or worse yet, a lazy jerk?"_

_Shane's eyes danced with merriment. "You won't find him lazy, and judging by the amount of women he usually has clamoring around him, he's not a jerk either."_

"_Oh, so you've sent a playboy. Great." She rolled her eyes. "That's just what I need."_

_Shane smiled indulgently. "He's one of our best and brightest young agents. I've known him since he was just 18. I'd trust my life, or Kim's or even Andrew's and Jeannie's with him. At least try out the arrangement for awhile. After a few weeks, if you find the situation absolutely unbearable we'll come up with something different. But keep in mind that' something different' might not necessarily allow you to continue your studies. The ISA went to a tremendous effort to make this transition as seamless as possible. Give it a chance to work."_

"_But what about my parents?" She questioned. "And my siblings? Won't they be in danger too?"_

"_Roman and Isabella are aware of what's happened. They, along with Eric, Evan and Lori will be protected."_

"_Then why can't I simply move back to the States?"_

_Shane shook his head. "You're the main target Samantha. It would just complicate things if you returned. We can protect you and we can protect them much better if we keep you here in Paris. Now sit down, relax, and we'll go over your cover story again."_

Slowly she found herself drifting asleep, the events of the past few days at long last relegated to the land of dreams.

-♥-

The sound of someone knocking on the door woke her a few hours later. Glancing at her watch she realized that this was the time she'd been told to expect her "boyfriend." She sat up, taking a few seconds to stretch the kinks out of her shoulders. The nap, although short, was the first real sleep she'd had since Franco had been killed. "With any luck this 'boyfriend' will be the quiet type and will be content to leave me alone." She murmured to herself as she stood up and padded out of the bedroom and over to the door.

Recalling Shane's instructions she repeated the secret code phrase loudly through the door. "Is that you honey? Did you bring me a surprise?"

Lucas felt his heart jump at the sound of her voice. With an unfamiliar nervousness in his voice he answered back. "Of course I did sweetheart. You didn't think I'd return home empty handed?"

Sami took a deep breath before allowing her fingers to twist the lock open. With one last cleansing breath to calm the chaos in her stomach, she flung open the door. "What do you have for me…" The words died on her lips as her eyes collided with the deep pools of his.

Lucas wondered if his face mirrored hers at the moment. Acting purely on impulse he stepped inside, kicking the door closed behind him before hauling her into his arms. "This." He whispered just before his lips captured hers.

-♥-

**Chapter Two**

Lucas didn't know what had come over him. Kissing her had not been part of the plan, but now that his mouth was molded to hers, he couldn't seem to stop himself. His tongue gently pried at her closed clips. With a small moan she parted them, allowing his tongue to dart inside.

Sami couldn't believe she was doing this, that she wasn't pushing him away in angry protest. By all rights she should have decked him for kissing her, but as soon as she caught sight of his hypnotic brown eyes, she was lost. And now that she was in his arms, his mouth seducing hers, simply forming a coherent thought was difficult.

Unwittingly her arms snaked around his neck, tugging his head impossibly closer, her fingers threading through his thick hair. She had never believed in love at first sight, but as her heart thumped rapidly in her chest she was beginning to believe in lust at first sight. No man had ever stirred such a reaction from her body.

Lucas responded in kind, deepening the kiss. His shoulder drooped down momentarily as he pulled one hand away, allowing his duffel bag to drop to the floor. Emptied of its load, his arm returned to her waist, his fingers finding the bottom of her shirt and scooting underneath.

Sami heard a purr-like sound- hers she supposed - as his fingers ventured up to cup her lace-covered breast. She gasped as his thumb brushed across her sensitive nipple, instantly arousing it.

Lucas steered her against the wall, pressing his body against hers as his fingers continued to arouse her responsive breasts. For the life of him, he couldn't recall anytime – be it with a woman or in a dangerous situation – that had ever jumpstarted his body so swiftly.

Sami was left with no doubt of his arousal as she felt his lower body brush against her thigh. A bucket of ice over her body, she promptly returned to her senses. Her hands left his hair and with strength she didn't know she had, she pushed against his chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Her blue eyes flashed angrily. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Dazed and out of breath, Lucas looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"I said." She glared. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

Lucas frowned, still breathless, his heart thumping madly. "I. Uh—"

"Great." Sami muttered, turning away so he wouldn't see the heat she felt on her cheeks. "They sent me a mute idiot with out-of-control hormones!"

"But—"

"No buts! I may be stuck having to pretend you're my boyfriend, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you manhandle me in private!"

Regaining his composure Lucas shot back defensively. "You didn't seem to mind at first sweetheart! With the way your hands were clawing at me I'd venture to say it's been a long time since you last got laid. You wanted that kiss every bit as much as me!" He stepped closer to her, stopping only when their mouths were mere millimeters apart. In a low voice he growled. "In fact, I'd almost bet that if I carried you off to bed right now, you'd be whimpering my name within a minute."

Backing up, it was Sami's turn to sputter. "I-I- don't even know your name!" She cringed as she realized how lame she sounded, even if it happened to be true. Shane _had_ forgotten to tell her that one little detail. "I mean, no! No I won't be whimpering your name, because you won't be getting me into bed!"

Lucas smirked as her face flushed with a delightful cross between excitement and outrage. "Lucas." He replied softly, extending his hand. "My name is Lucas."

Sami swallowed as she tentatively touched his outstretched fingers. Feeling a bolt of electricity as their skin brushed, she pulled her arm back quickly. "Samantha." She croaked, her throat suddenly dry.

Lucas grinned. "Nice to meet you Samantha."

She shook her head. "No. _Sami_. Only my godfather and one of my uncles ever get away with calling me Samantha."

"Sami it is." He replied softly.

Sami could feel the warmth flood her face again at the deepness of his voice. _Snap out of it Sami! You're acting like a teenager with her very first crush. _"So Lucas?" She looked up at him questioningly. "You said Lucas right?" At his nod she asked. "Does that get shortened to Luke?"

"Not if you expect me to answer." He quipped back, averting his eyes from her inquisitive stare.

Sami smirked, realizing she'd touched on a nerve. She'd have to follow up on that another time. Raising a brow she asked him innocently, "Lukey?"

"Don't even—"

She let out a laugh. "I'm kidding. _Lucas._"

Lucas knew he was probably wearing a goofy grin on his face, but he just couldn't stop smiling at her. He'd never experienced anything like the range of emotions she was inflicting on his perpetually guarded soul. Sure she was attractive, very beautiful in fact, something his body had more than noticed, but it was so much more than that. For the first time in his life he felt…he searched for the words to describe the unfamiliar feeling, finding them a moment later… _at home._ He gulped, feeling his stomach turn somersaults.

Sami watched the myriad of expressions cross his face with amused curiosity, her previous desire for a quiet and boring companion completely forgotten. An overwhelming desire to get to know "Lucas" was quickly consuming her. She pushed it away, determined to not let him get to her. Focusing on his discarded duffel bag she asked him skeptically. "Is that all you brought?"

Lucas shook his head, snapping out of the desire filled stupor she'd put him in. "Uh no. The rest of my clothes and whatever else I'll need should be here already. Don't tell me they haven't set this place up properly?"

Sami shook her head. "I have no idea. I got here and promptly passed out for a nap. It was the first chance I had to sleep since Franco was gunned down."

Lucas' eyes darkened. "Oh Sami, I'm so sorry. It didn't even occur to me when I saw you."

"What didn't?"

"Franco… your boyfriend. I'm so sorry. You must be devastated."

Sami's brows rose. "Well I'm sad to see _any_ life end, especially in such a violent manner, but given the type of lifestyle he was involved in, I can't say that I'm surprised."

"Well yeah, but still. He was your boyfriend—"

"Franco?" She made a face. "Not likely."

"But the dossier I read on you said—"

"Well it was wrong."

Lucas was surprised. Normally the background checks run by the ISA were as close to complete as humanly possible. "There must be a mistake then."

"I'll say. That greasy haired lizard was many things, but boyfriend was not one of them. We were on our first date – a blind date at that, and it wasn't even dinner. We were at a coffee shop and had just sat down with our cappuccinos when some guy walked up and aimed a pistol right at his temple. He was dead before I even set my drink down."

Lucas winced. "I've heard of blind dates from hell, but that takes the cake." His voice deepened with emotion. "I'm so sorry baby. No one should ever have to witness something like that."

She nodded as the unsettling images she'd so far managed to repress came flooding back. "Can we not talk about it right now?"

"Sure, but I'm here for you whenever you're ready to open up about it."

Sami frowned. "Oh please don't tell me you're a headshrinker too."

"Would it be a problem if I were?"

"Only for you, as you'd be wasting your time."

"That's quite the bitter sounding opinion you have there. Care to elaborate?"

Sami crossed her arms, glaring. "No."

"Okay! Okay!" Lucas held up his hands in surrender. "It's okay Sami. You have nothing to fear. I have two degrees, but they're in business and criminology. I've got a few psychology courses under my belt, but that's about it."

"Oh God." Sami moaned as she lifted her hand to rub her temple.

"What?" Lucas asked with alarm. "What's wrong?"

"You've taken psych courses! You're even worse than a shrink. You know just enough to make you think you know a lot."

"That's some attitude you have there Sami."

"I have my reasons."

"Care to elaborate?"

She shook her head vehemently. "No. I don't." She sighed. "It's a long complicated story. Let's just say that my family has had bad experiences with psychiatrists."

"Oh?" His searching gaze finally caught hers.

The warmth and concern in his tone and chocolate brown eyes melted away her reluctance to talk about it, and despite her protests to the contrary, Sami soon found herself _wanting_ to open up to him. But she forced herself to resist. Turning away from his spellbinding eyes she walked through the doorway of the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator door. "I'm starving."

Lucas bit his lip, watching her thoughtfully.

"What about you? You must be hungry too after your trip here." She felt the intensity of his stare and spun back around. "Look. I said I don't want to talk about it, so can we drop it?"

Lucas nodded. "For now." He reached out and placed his hand on her forearm. "But when you decide you want to talk about _everything_, I'm here."

Sami eyed his arm warily. "Fine. Whatever." Rotating away she peered into the fridge again examining the variety of items it contained. "I see the ISA stocked us with groceries. How about I cook us dinner?"

"Okay." Lucas smiled.

Sami backed up, pulling a couple of brown paper wrapped packages. Holding up one she announced. "We have chicken." She lifted her other hand. "And Parmesan cheese and tomatoes. How does Chicken Parmesan sound?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Good." She nodded to the doorway. "Then scoot."

"I thought I could help."

Sami shook her head determinedly. "You'd just be in my way. Why don't you go see if the ISA brought all of your stuff here. I'll call you when dinner's ready."

Lucas knew when to quit. With a grin he left her to her chicken parts and cheese, and set out to explore his new surroundings.

-♥-

Sami turned and stared at Lucas as he followed her through the bedroom door. "Uhm, what exactly do you think you're doing?"

Lucas smirked. "Don't you remember sweetheart? You came out looking all sweet and cuddly in your white froufrou nightgown and said it was bedtime. This is the bedroom, so I'm going to bed."

"Oh no you're not. This is _my_ room."

He shook his head. "Correction Baby. It's _our_ room." He motioned to the king-sized bed. "This is a one bedroom apartment. We're sharing."

"Hell no we're not!" She reached over and picked up a pillow off the bed, tossing it forcefully at him. "There's an extra blanket in the hall closet and a perfectly good sofa in the living room."

"Sami, we're going to be living together for the next few months, possibly even a year or two. You don't seriously think I'm going to spend my nights on that lumpy old sofa do you?"

She simply raised her brow, her blue eyes daring him to protest.

"Come on! There's no way I'm sleeping out there!" He walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, running his hands over the expansive surface. "Sami." He growled. "It's a king-sized bed. Surely we can handle sharing. I promise I don't snore!" A devilish grin lit up his face as he teased her. "Or are you afraid that you won't be able to resist me?"

Her cheeks flooded with color, egging him on.

"Haha! That's it! You're afraid that you won't be able to control yourself."

"In your dreams!"

"It doesn't have to be sweetheart." He held his arms open and fell backwards on the bed. "I'm yours Sami. Have your wicked way with me!"

She felt her cheeks flush even redder than she imagined possible. Suddenly short of breath, her voice rose to a near-panic pitch. "You can't sleep in here!"

Lucas sat back up, scoffing at her. "Sami, we're both adults. It's not like you've never shared a bed with a man before!"

She couldn't look at him. Turning away abruptly, she walked to the window, keeping her back to him while she figured out what to say.

Lucas watched her perplexedly, his eyes widening as something occurred to him. "Omigod! Don't tell me you've never shared a bed with a man before."

"It's none of your business!"

"Sami!" He stood up and walked behind her, placing his hand on her arm, turning her back around. "Sami you're not a—"

She lifted her chin defiantly, glaring at him. "Not a what?"

His lips twisted wryly. "Well there are two possible answers, but judging by the way you responded to my kiss earlier I think we can safely assume that you _are_ attracted to men." He watched her eyes flash dangerously as she waited for him to continue. "So that leaves the other choice."

"Oh?" She shrugged off his touch, crossing her arms protectively over the white cotton of her nightgown, lest he see the effect his closeness was having on her. "Sami have you ever _been_ with a man before?"

She stepped away from him, crossing back to the other side of the room, keeping her back turned, not saying anything.

"So that's it." He replied quietly as he followed her. "You're a virgin."

"So what if I am?" She cried defensively as she spun around to confront him. "You know what? Plenty of twenty-four year olds have never had sex! Everyone makes me feel like a freak! Just because I happen to have standards—"

"Whoa! Whoa kitten! Retract the claws." He soothed as he reached for her, pulling her close to his chest. His hand lifted to her chin, gently stroking his thumb over her lips as he lifted her face to his. "I'm not judging you Sami."

"You're not?"

He shook his head, smiling tenderly. "I'm just surprised. You're a beautiful woman, and smart and kind and from the brief time we've spent together I can already see how nurturing you are. I guess I'm just surprised that some man hasn't snatched you up as his wife yet."

It was her turn to smile ruefully. "I don't exactly let any of them close enough to try."

"And why's that?" He prodded calmly, his thumb still caressing her mouth lovingly.

"I just don't okay?" She averted her eyes and looked past him to the bed. "Look. I'm tired. I'm cranky, and I just want to get some sleep."

His brows rose, but he didn't press the issue further. "Alright, I'll let it drop for now Sami, but this conversation isn't over."

She stepped away from him, pointing to the pillow that had fallen out of his arms earlier. "It _is_ over, and so is this day. There's your pillow and like I said, there's an extra blanket in the closet. I'll see you in the morning."

Lucas stayed put, crossing his arms. "Oh no sweetheart. You're not escaping that easily. I'll drop the subject _for now,_ but I'm not sleeping on that sofa. If you want to sleep alone so badly, _you_ can go sleep out there." He smirked as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and stripped down to his boxer-briefs. Tossing the pillow back at her he grinned. "I hear there's an extra blanket in the closet if you need it."

Sami's mouth gaped open in astonishment. "But—"

He climbed into the bed and winked at her. "If you change your mind about sleeping in here, you're more than welcome to join me." He reached for the lamp. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some sleep. Sweet dreams baby."

-♥-

Sami slowly walked from the bedroom as he turned off the light. Clutching the pillow, she turned and looked back into the now darkened room, wondering what had just happened. How had he so quickly gotten the upper hand?

Chastising herself, she headed for the linen closet at the end of the hall, pulling out the striped blanket she'd seen earlier, before padding into the dimly lit living room. Reflections from Paris' light polluted skies cast an eerie glow across the furniture as she examined the lumpy old sofa with a sigh. "Serves you right Sami. You let him get to you."

Dejectedly she crawled onto the sofa, plumping her pillow before leaning back with the blanket pulled over her body. "Ouch!" She cried out softly a moment later as the spring in the cushion dug into her back. Flipping onto her side, she tried her best to find a comfortable position. "I know that Uncle Shane wanted this cover to look as authentic as possible, but did the ISA really have to buy this ratty old furniture?" She closed her eyes and thought about the king-sized bed in the other room. It was obvious that no expense had been spared when it came to furnishing the bedroom causing her to recall somewhat bitterly the ISA's cover story of the couple being passionate young lovers. "Of course they'd have a great bed." She mused cynically. "That's where they'd be spending the most time."

Her fingers strayed to her lips as she closed her eyes, remembering the feel of his mouth on hers. If they'd met under different circumstances, or if she'd met him years ago, before Alan, perhaps things would be different. With another dejected sigh she re-plumped her pillow, determined to fall asleep.

-♥-

An hour later his invitation to join him echoed through her mind as she lingered outside the bedroom door. Not only was the sofa impossible to sleep on, but the patio doors didn't seem to seal properly and there was a steady draft in the living room. She was chilled and sore, and wanted nothing more than to get some rest.

She listened carefully, hearing only the sound of his steady breathing. She crept inside, circling the bed before quietly crawling on the side opposite of his sleeping form. She paused and watched him for a moment, feeling something deep inside stir at the sight of him. Flat on his back with his arms spread out, and his hair tousled over his face he looked almost angelic. With a quiet sigh she slid beneath the covers, determined to stay as far away from him as possible, making a mental note to awaken in a few hours, lest he catch her there.

In the dark, Lucas felt the mattress give slightly. A small smile touched his lips. He waited until he heard the steady rhythm of her breaths before moving beside her. Placing a gentle kiss on her cheek he murmured, "Sweet dreams Sami."

-♥-

**Chapter Three**

_Her mouth opened, but she couldn't voice the scream. Blood and grey matter were splattered everywhere, on her clothes, on her hands, in her hair. She looked up and her blue eyes met the ice-cold stare of the assailant. She shivered, realizing that his lifeless eyes were memorizing her face, just as she memorized his._

_It was only as he ran away from the scene that her vocal chords finally found their strength. Staring at the bloody corpse of her date, Sami let out an ear shattering scream._

"Sami!" Lucas' embrace tightened protectively. "Baby wake up. You're having another nightmare."

The sound of his voice and the feel of his muscular arms encircling her brought her immediately to her senses. She struggled in his grasp, pushing him away as her eyes opened. "Lucas! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Lucas' grip remained firm. "Oh no sweetheart. You're not going anywhere." He switched to a soothing tone, murmuring into her hair. "Shhh. It's alright. You're safe with me."

Her heart raced, more from reality than her dream, as she asked him accusingly. "What the hell am I doing in bed with you?"

Lucas grinned. "Do you even have to ask? You've been sneaking back in here every night after I've gone to sleep. And then you've been careful to make sure that you sneak out every morning before I wake up."

Sami looked at him warily. "How do you _know_ that? You were supposed to be sleeping."

"I'm a _spy_ Sami. My eyes may be closed, but I'm never completely asleep. It's the first thing the ISA teaches. Never let your guard down."

"So you've known all week long and you haven't said a word?"

Lucas smirked. "Why would I? No one deserves to sleep on that sofa. And besides, I rather like lying next to you, holding you, comforting you after your bad dreams – and that reminds me, this one was upset you more than usual. Care to talk about it?"

Sami brushed aside his question, finding something much more alarming in his words. "What do you mean holding me? I'm careful to stay on my side of the bed."

Lucas let out a low chuckle. "Baby you may start out with that intention, but your body knows what you want, what you _need_, better than you do. You're a heat seeking missile once you fall asleep."

Sami felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Omigod."

"Don't be embarrassed. I kind of like finding you all snuggled up against me. It makes me feel useful." _And a few other things he thought to himself as he shifted his lower body away from hers before she realized just how much he enjoyed her nearness._

"I'm so sorry. I'll try to stay on my side from now on." She attempted once again to extract herself from his strong arms. "Lucas let me go."

"No way. Not until you tell me about your nightmare. This one was worse than all the others. You've been crying in your sleep all week, but this was the first time you've screamed. I'm assuming it was about Franco's murder?"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

"Sami." He growled.

"Fine. Whatever. I watched it happen, like I do every night. But this time it didn't end with the gun going off."

"Oh?"

"It was his eyes Lucas. They were so cold."

"I've seen photographs of Dario Lombardi. His eyes are gray in color."

"It wasn't just that. There was no life in them, completely emotionless. It was like watching a machine."

"I—"

"He sneered at me, and in that split second he memorized my face. No matter where I go or what I do, he knows what I look like." Another chill racked her spine.

Lucas hands instinctively rubbed her back in comforting circles. "And that's why I'm here Sami. I promise that I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."

"But what if the ISA doesn't find him? For all we know he could be here right now, searching for me."

"They're closing in on him Sami. He was spotted in Sicily a day ago. The ISA expects to apprehend him within the next few days."

"And then what?" Sami winced at the tremor of fear in her voice. During the day it was easy for her to be brave, easy for her to convince herself that the Lombardi family would never be able to find her. But at night, when every shadow seemed to jump out of the walls, when every sound felt like the breath of a killer lurking behind her, it wasn't as easy to be the fierce and feisty woman she portrayed in the daytime.

Lucas felt the growing tension knotting her muscles. Automatically his arms tightened around her, pulling her protectively against his bare chest. "And then we wait for his trial, and in the meantime you keep going to school, and I keep working at Titan and we keep up the pretense that we're passionate young lovers who can't keep our hands off each other."

"Yeah right." Sami rolled her eyes at the last part. "Somehow I doubt we'll ever convince anyone of that."

"Oh don't be too sure about that sweetheart." Lucas teased as he slid his hand down to pull her lower body back against his. "I'm up for the challenge."

Sami gasped, blushing as she felt his arousal pressing insistently against her thigh. "Wha—, I mean… I mean..." She stuttered, her nightmare forgotten as her heart raced for an entirely different reason. She swallowed hard as she felt his fingers move to her chin, tilting her face upwards. Blue eyes met brown as he lowered his mouth to hers. A split second before contact, reality came crashing down on her and her body reacted, sending Lucas tumbling to the floor.

"Ouch!" Lucas complained, rubbing the elbow he'd managed to land on. "What did you do that for?"

Sami jumped off the bed and stared at him like shocked kitten. "Uhm… I… I'm going to go take a hot bubble bath. I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep." She mumbled before bolting from the room.

Lucas frowned at the empty doorway, muttering as he shook his head.. "Women." Even as he spoke it he knew that he was kidding himself. Women weren't the problem. Just _one_ woman was. One woman who'd managed to get under his skin like no other. One who tempted him with her devilish smile and innocent blue eyes. One who could make him forget his own name, let alone the fact that he'd ever been with anyone else. One who if he wasn't careful, was going to do exactly was his partner had warned: make him fall head over heels in love and render him useless to the ISA.

-♥-

Sami could feel the eyes boring into her back. Bracing her knees against the wooden ladder, she turned cautiously and looked down at the smirking face. "What are you doing here Lucas?"

Eyes dancing, he licked his lips, letting his gaze travel deliberately over the pale denim covering her ass as he answered. "Since when do I need a reason to visit you sweetheart? Perhaps I'm just here to enjoy the view."

Sami's cheeks reddened. "Oh I don't know – probably because it's the middle of a work day and you should be at Titan?"

Lucas shook his head, grinning wildly. "It's springtime; we're in Paris. We should be out enjoying the sunshine, not cooped up inside. Work can wait and so can your dusty old books. Come down from the stacks ma chérie. We have a river to stroll along, baguettes to eat and white wine to sip." He stretched his arm up towards her expectantly.

Sami's brow rose and for a split-second she debated refusing his request. It wasn't that she wasn't interested; it was that she was _too_ interested. In the few weeks she'd known him, he'd tempted her more than anyone she'd ever known. And for someone who was used to being in control, who _liked_ being in control, the situation was nearly unbearable.

"Come on baby. You know you want to."

"It's not that I don't _want_ to." Sami hastily explained. "It's that transferring here from Milan put me behind in my classes. I really need to find these books so that I can catch up while everyone's off on spring break next week."

"How many books?"

"A dozen."

"So let's find them, and then we can go. Give me a copy of the list. I'll help you."

"Okay." She hesitated, biting her lip. "But they're French titles, and nothing is really in order in here."

Lucas sighed. _Stubborn woman._ "Sami, you know perfectly well that I'm every bit as fluent in the language as you are. Just give me the titles and I'll help."

"Okay." She agreed, and with him standing below she carefully climbed down, retrieving a copy of the list from her nearby book bag.

For the next hour they worked quietly, each searching through the collection. "You weren't kidding when you said these are in no particular order." He grumbled as he blew the dust off the book in his hand. "And some of them look like they haven't been touched in fifty years."

Sami grinned. "They probably haven't. This collection was moved around during the Nazi occupation in World War II. When the allies freed France, putting them all back in order was low on the list of priorities. I like it this way. Every time I come in here I find something that I've never seen before. It's fun."

Lucas smiled indulgently at her enthusiasm. He had to admit that there was a certain sparkle in her eyes whenever she talked about her studies. "You really like this stuff don't you?"

"I do. I was so excited when I was accepted to the school in Milan." She sighed wistfully. "Not that I'm complaining about Paris. It's wonderful here, but my dream was to study in Italy."

"So tell me, how exactly did such a pretty and intelligent American girl end up studying art history in Italy?"

Sami beamed, thinking of her beloved stepmother. "Oh that's easy. My mom, well she's actually my step-mom, but I think of her as my mother, she's from Italy. She studied there and I wanted to follow in her footsteps."

"Your stepmother? Are your parents divorced?"

She shook her head. "No. My real mother disappeared when I was just a toddler."

"Disappeared?"

A far away look crossed her face as she conjured up the fleeting memories she had of Marlena Evans. "My mother was a psychiatrist. She was treating a patient named Stefano Di—" She paused, remembering Shane's strict instructions to leave full names out of any conversations she had with Lucas. "Named Stefano. Apparently he had delusions of grandeur, and thought he could control the world, or at least the part where my parents lived. Somehow his psychosis managed to affect my mother and one day she just up and left with him, leaving behind only a note saying that she was off to fulfill her destiny as Stefano's Queen of the Night. Her car was found a week later in the trees beneath an embankment by the river. Stefano's body was in the trunk. He'd been stabbed with a letter opener and left for dead. My mom wasn't found, at least not at first. They presumed that she offed herself in the river, and sure enough a few years later, her remains finally surfaced. My dad and Isabella had been together since a year after she disappeared and had already had my younger brother and sister in the meantime. With my mom's death finally proven, they married."

"Wow. That's quite the story."

Sami smiled softly. "Well it's not _quite_ as interesting as reading her case study on Stefano – talk about delusional – the man referred to himself as the Phoenix."

"As in the bird that rises from the ashes?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Apparently he envisioned himself as the great villain of the town, and kept imagining his death and rebirth and constant quest for revenge. Can you imagine living with an enemy who simply refused to ever die?"

Lucas chuckled. "No."

"So now that I've told you a little bit about me, I think it's _your_ turn to spill."

The smile on his face faded instantly. "Let's not."

"No?"

"No."

"Why not? Oh wait, let me guess." She joked. "You come from a family of serial killers."

"Not quite, but close."

Sami's eyes widened. "You're kidding right?"

"I wish."

At her stare of disbelief he elaborated. "Okay, so they weren't serial killers, but they were adulterers, hookers and rapists."

Her brows rose in surprise. "Really?"

He turned away, feigning a sudden extreme interest in her book list. Ignoring her questioning eyes he asked her. "So did we manage to find them all?"

_Message received, loud and clear_. She thought to herself. _Fine Lucas. I'll drop it for now, but don't think that you're not going to explain that comment at some point in the future._ Snatching her own copy of the list from the table where she'd left it, she quickly compared it to the pile of books. "Uh, yeah. Looks like we found them all. I guess we can go now." She moved to pack them into her bag, stopping when his fingers brushed her forearm.

"That can wait. We can grab them on the way back later. Let's just go."

Shrugging, she complied, following him out the door into the warm afternoon sun.

-♥-

"Omigod Lucas! They're chasing me." She screeched as she tore off across the park.

Lucas ran after her, gasping, not from exertion, but from hysterical laughter as he finally caught up to her. "Sami." He said between breaths. "Sami, they're not out to get you; they're pigeons."

"Maniacal pigeons!" Sami corrected through tears of laughter. "I don't get it. One minute I was minding my own business, eating my bread, and the next moment thousands of them swooped in."

"Sami." Lucas chastised her. "There weren't _thousands_ of them. Hundreds yes. But not thousands." He stepped back as she swatted her arm at him in mock annoyance. "I can't say that I blame them. You _do_ look pretty tasty."

"I think they wanted my _bread_, not me." She corrected dryly.

His eyes danced as he licked his lips suggestively. "Oh I wouldn't be too sure about that. I could think of one or two places on you where I wouldn't mind getting my beak—" He stumbled backwards as she whacked him again, this time harder.

"Stop it!" She scolded as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "You're always saying things like that."

Lucas' lips twitched with amusement at her accusing tone. "Honey, have you ever considered that I'm saying them because they're true."

"Look, I thought we agreed that we're only a pretending to be a couple in public, not in private."

"Look around you sweetheart. You don't get much more public than a park in view of the Eiffel Tower." He stepped forward, reaching for her. "In fact, I'd say I'd been a little remiss in my duties Mademoiselle."

Sami swallowed hard as his fingers gently lifted her chin. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. With a groan Lucas's mouth captured hers.

Lucas felt himself drowning in her taste. He'd managed to swipe a few chaste kisses here and there over the past few weeks, but never enough to satisfy the rapidly growing hunger his body, mind and spirit had developed for her. His hands eagerly traveled her body, halting at the hem of her shirt. Momentarily forgetting where they were, Lucas slipped his fingers beneath the fabric, lightly tracing circles on her baby-soft skin as they journeyed upwards.

"Quelques marguerites pour la jolie dame?"

Like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar Lucas froze. With a sigh he disentangled himself from Sami and raised a brow as he turned towards the familiar voice.

-♥-


End file.
